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25771 SW Asia

vacabulary for Southwest Asia

one of the most oimportant rivers of Southwest Asia; it supported many ancient river valley civilations, and flows through parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq

Euphrates River

a river of southwest Asia which supported several ancient civilizations and flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, and empties into the Persian Gulf

Jordan River

a river that serves as a natural boundary between Israel and Jordan flowing through the mountains of Lebanon with no outlet to the Mediterranean Sea

Dead Sea

a landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan that is so salty that almost nothing can live in its waters;

Rub- al-Khali

also known as the Empty Quarter ; one of th e largest sandy deserts in the world covering about 250,000 square miles; located on the Arabian Peninsula

oasis

a place where water from an aquifer has reached the surface; it supports vegetation and wildlife

salt flat

flat land made of chemical salts that remain after winds evaporate he moisture in the soil

drip irrigation

the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

desalinization

the removal of salt from ocean water

fossil water

water pumped from underground aquifers

crude oil

petroleum that has not been processed

refinery

a place where crude oil is converted into useful products

Mecca

the holiest city of Islam, located in Saudi Arabia, where people make pilgrimages to to fulfill Islamic religious duty

Islam

a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Muhammad, and the biggest cultural and influence in North America

Muhammad

the founder and the prophet of Islam, who lived part of his life in the city of Mecca

mosque

an Islamic place of worship, where Muslims pray facing toward the city of Mecca

theocratic

a form of government in which religious leaders control the government, relying on religious law and consultation with religious scholars

OPEC

the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, a group established in 1960 by some oil-producing nations to coordinate policies on selling petroleum products

Western Wall

for Jews, the holiest site in Jerusalem; the only remaining portion of the Second Temple, built in 538 B.C. and destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans

Dome of the Rock

a shrine in Jerusalem, located on the Temple Mount, which houses the spot the spot where Muslims believe Muhammad rose into heaven and where Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac to God

Zionism

a movement that began in the 19th century to create and support a Jewish homeland in Palestine

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

a group formed in the 1960's to regain the Arab land in Israel for Palestinian Arabs

Kurds

an ethnic group in Southwest Asia that has occupied Kurdistan, located in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran for about a thousand years, and who have been involved in clashes with these three countries over land claims for most of the 20th century

Mesopotamia

a region in Southwest Asia between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, which was the location of some of the earliest civilizations in the world; part of cultural hearth known as the Fertile Crescent

Sunni

one of the two main branches of Islam, comprising about 83 percent of all Muslims, including those in Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan

Shi'ite

one of the two main branches of Islam including most Iranians and some populations of Iraq and Afghanistan

Taliban

a strict Muslim group in Afghanistan that has imposed rigid rules on society, including prescribed clothing styles for man and women, restrictions on the appearance of women in public places, and regulation on television, music and videos

guest workers

a largely unskilled laborer, often an immigrant from South and East Asia, brought in to the oil-booming countries to fill job openings that the region's native peoples find culturally or economically unacceptable

stateless nation

a nation of people that does not have a territory to legally occupy, like the Palestinians, Kurds, and Basques

Palestinians

a displaced group of Arabs who lived or still live in the area formally called Palestine and is now called Israel

West Bank

in Israel, a group of strip of land on the west side of the Jordan River, originally controlled by Jordan which is part of the land set aside for Arab Palestinians

Gaza Strip

a territory along the Mediterranean Sea just northeast of the Sinai Peninsula; part of the land set aside for the Palestinians which was occupied in Israel by in 1967

Golan Heights

a hilly palteau overlooking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee; a strategic location that has been the site of conflict in Southwest Asia for decades.